Iran shah son's remains to be scattered in Caspian Sea

BOSTON (Reuters) - Prince Alireza Pahlavi, the younger son of the late Shah of Iran, will be cremated and his remains released into the Caspian Sea, his brother said on Wednesday.

Pahlavi, 44, shot himself to death in Boston on Tuesday after what was described as a long struggle with depression.

Prince Reza Pahlavi, the Shah's older son, said there was a worldwide outpouring of support for his family's loss.

"We mourn today the succumbing of our beloved Alireza to the weight, pain and daily burdens of this grave illness, and because of its robbing the promise of yet another life, unfulfilled," he said, pausing to regain his composure.

Pahlavi said he last spoke with his brother less than two weeks ago but texted him frequently. He indicated his brother had left a suicide note but did not elaborate.

A memorial service is being planned, likely for the Washington, D.C., area, where Reza Pahlavi lives.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and died in exile in Egypt a year later. His daughter Leila died in London in 2001 of a drug overdose.

Born in Tehran in 1966, Alireza Pahlavi attended schools in Iran before traveling in 1979 to the United States, where he obtained degrees at Princeton and Columbia universities and studied at Harvard University.

(Reporting by Lauren Keiper; Editing by Jerry Norton)